Old fashioned cocktail

This is a special Doherty family recipe, perfected over time by my husband and me.

Lots of bourbon drinking, lots of faithful taste testing, lots of long nights of sipping and tweaking went into this, the most perfect of all old fashioned recipes.

It was hard work, let me tell you.

But I’m happy to present the ultimate drink. I seriously got hooked for a while, where I would travel to people’s houses with my ingredients because nothing else could possibly compare. (It says a lot about my family and friends that they didn’t see this as completely rude.)

Now, if you want to start out slow, using whatever ice cubes, sugar, bitters and bourbon you’ve got on hand to appromixate this, go right on ahead. It’ll still be tasty, just not perfection. So when you’re ready to graduate to the next level, come back and buy these ingredients (see notes in the recipe below for details on where to get the goods) and make it again this way. And you’ll be in a whole ‘nother world of bourbon cocktail heaven.

Forgive me, the bar is calling my name. Here you go with the recipe. Cheers and happy drinking!

Ingredients

Instructions

To make simple syrup:

Bring 1/2 cup water (filtered, please) to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.

Add 1/2 cup demerara sugar and stir to dissolve sugar. (I turn the heat off after the first 10-15 seconds of stirring, because the boiling water will melt the sugar the rest of the way.)

Stir until completely dissolved, then remove from heat and let cool completely.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

To make cocktail:

Add about 1 tablespoon of simple syrup to an old-fashioned glass.

Sprinkle in a couple of drops of cherry bitters and a couple of drops of orange bitters. (My husband does equal parts of the two. I do twice as much orange as cherry bitters. Find your favorite balance.)

Add bourbon to your taste. (My husband adds a big splash more than I do; he likes it a bit stronger.) You may need to adjust your simple syrup or your bourbon to get it to your level of deliciousness.

Plop in your large ice cube, swirl to mix everything up, then sit back and sip on the most fabulous old fashioned. Cheers!

P.S. You can garnish with cherries or orange peels if you want/have. Makes it look fancy!

Recipe Notes

Here are the details on where I get my ingredients: Demerara sugar is available at my grocery store in the baking aisle. You could also try Amazon. We buy our bitters online through Amazon but they also are often available in specialty grocery stores (Dean & Deluca, Fresh Market, etc.). Large ice cube trays are available at Crate & Barrel and through Amazon. Four Roses Small Batch is our bourbon of choice for this drink. We drink lots of bourbons and lots of varieties, but Four Roses is the best here. Find it at your local liquor store. Our old fashioned crystal glasses were a gift, but they are also available at any store selling drinkware. It's a standard and you definitely need some. Stock up and get your drink on!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

Amount Per Serving

As Served

Calories2121kcalCalories from fat

% Daily Value

Sodium138mg

6%

Carbohydrate130g

43%

Sugars92g

Protein2g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

Comments

I’ve been waiting for this recipe post ever since I saw the drink pic on your Instagram account a few days ago. I went out and bought a bottle of bourbon because of you so you could say that you are contributing to my weekend drinking habits. LOL! Thanks for sharing Kathryn!

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Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a health and nutrition editor, wife, mother of two kids, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes and resources to help you get delicious family food on your table! Learn more about me.